Grow Up
by LoveThatFandom
Summary: The end of the world forces young teens to grow up faster. It forces them to stop playing the whiny child and do what has to be done. Unless you're Chris Manawa. Maybe he just needs a little bit of help from someone who already has. Chris/Oc. "Fix it" fic.
1. Civilian

**Chapter 1: Civilian**

Her fingers tapped the steering wheel anxiously as she waited. It had been too long and they weren't back yet. She wished they would have just let her go with them. Sometimes they would, but most of the time, she was stuck on the sidelines. Of course she knew why. Being the only girl in the family minus her mother left everyone else treating her as if she couldn't do anything of her own. Once in a while, they'd welcome her with open arms to join, but that was only when things were clear and the mood was light. Given the situation of these days, that was rather rare. The only upside was that she was finally learning how to drive and she got to be the one to give her brothers a scare every now and then when they fell asleep and she purposefully swerved onto the rockier terrain.

Part of her wanted to immediately jump out of the car and go after them to try and ease her worries, but she knew she'd get an earful and that was the last thing she wanted. Plus she was supposed to watch the car and she didn't want anyone wandering to steal it. They had only just crossed the border a few months ago and they still didn't know the location and who was around here and what they were like. A few times they'd run into some really hostile people. It was sad that these days, everyone had seemed to lose their humanity. But in the end when it came to her family, she would protect them at all costs.

She was just about to get out of the car and finally start walking to see if she could find her brothers when she spotted them up ahead, pushing each other and laughing loudly. Rolling her eyes, she leaned back in her seat, sighing gently as they made their way to the car.

"Bailey, if you drive away without Samuel, you'll be my favorite little hermana," Alejandro teased, leaning in through the window of the car.

"I'm your only hermana, you idiot. Get in the car," she snorted, shoving Ale's arms off the window and starting the car up.

The two of them laughed and she rolled her eyes, waiting for them to get in before she started down the road on the way home. Or to abuelo's house. He wasn't doing much better these days and she grew more and more afraid each day that the sickness would take him and make him change just like it had to her abuela.

"What did you guys get, anything good?" she asked, resting her hands lightly on the steering wheel to keep it steady.

"Food and some toiletries. But never enough," Sam murmured from the back.

"We'll make it through. We're fine," Ale assured.

"If you guys would let me help...," she tried, shooting a look over her shoulder.

Sam snorted and ruffled his black hair. "Good try, but why don't you leave this stuff to us?"

Huffing, she quickly swerved off the road into the dirt, causing both of them to startle.

"Hijo de puta!" Alejandro hissed, shooting a glare at her through his baby blues.

Bailey snickered and steered the car back onto the road. "You know I just want to help, right?"

"We just don't want you getting hurt."

"If you taught me how to survive, I think that would help prevent that."

"You already know how to shoot and use a knife," Samuel pointed out.

"Yeah but there's more to knowing how to survive than knowing how to use weapons. I need to know where to look and how to scavenge if I ever get separated from you guys," she murmured, fixing her brown eyes firmly on the road.

"That won't ever happen," they both said simultaneously, causing her to roll her eyes.

"You never know."

The rest of the ride was silent after that. Maybe the time to think would get them to budge a little more on her side. But she didn't count on it all too much. Her papa was the deciding factor and she knew that he would never go for it. He was very traditional and often thought she and her mother should be doing more of the household chores instead of going out on runs for supplies and doing work more typically built for men. Of course she understood why and he was pretty lenient on things her abuela and abuelo weren't, but still there were some things she wanted to do that was out of her reach. Often she got her mama or brothers to vouch for her, as her mama was born in America and so were her brothers, so they were more relaxed on certain things.

Her demeanor changed when they started down the dirt path to their abuelo's house. She was antsy to get back and see Bruno and she knew her papa would be waiting for them anxiously as well. Sam and Ale argued back and forth a bit but she ignored it, smiling slightly when she saw her papa sitting on the porch like he usually did when they went out. She spotted Bruno at his side and the black and brown dog's ears perked up and he barked happily as she parked the car right in front of the porch.

Without waiting, she got out of the car and swiftly made her way over, giving her papa a tight hug. He always worried for them. After she pulled away, she bent down to hug Bruno as he licked the side of her face.

"Hey, relax, I'm okay," she cooed, scratching his ears.

They had only had Bruno for two years, but the two of them had bonded as if they lived together their whole lives. He was one of the cute little pups in the back of the old pound by their house. Animal Control said they picked him up in an abandoned trailer on a large piece of land and said it was likely that he was going to be trained as a herding dog. He matched all the typical descriptions of a Beauceron herding dog and was probably left behind after forclosure on the trailer house.

She looked up to see her papa helping Sam and Ale with the supplies and she stood, motioning for Bruno to follow. The dog padded beside her as they headed inside and she maneuvered around the couch to follow them to the kitchen. Sam had already started to pull the supplies out of the bag and place them on the counter to be sorted.

"Bailey, could you check on your mama and abuelo?" Papa asked, his tone a little bit serious, leading her to believe there was probably a discussion going on that he didn't want her to hear.

Sighing gently, she nodded. "Yes, papa."

Without another word, she turned and retreated from the kitchen, heading down the hallway to the room where her abuelo was staying as he was sick. Part of her wanted to linger in the hallway to try and listen in on the conversation, but she knew better than to disrespect her papa.

In the back room, her mama sat on the edge of the bed, reading a book to her abuelo. As soon as she entered, her mama perked up and moved across the room, engulfing her in a hug.

"I'm glad you're okay. Come here, your grandfather wants to see you," she instructed, smiling brightly.

Bailey moved to her abuelo's side and bent down, taking his hand in hers. He looked sicker than ever and she frowned slightly. Cancer wouldn't stop just because of the end of the world. Sooner or later, it would catch up to him and he would be gone just like abuela. Though she had died from a different illness. Still, she didn't want to lose him.

"Don't you frown, conejito. I have not been taken just yet and I am glad to have my family in my company in this time. How was your time with your hermanos?" he asked, a cough racking his body afterwards.

She flinched, the frown etching deeper into her skin. "Good. I am getting better at driving. Are you feeling any better?"

"Not very. But don't dwell on it."

Bruno padded over and sat down next to her, resting his muzzle on the edge of the bed next to his hand. He chuckled and patted the dog's head.

"I think I'd like to sleep," he murmured, looking over to her mama.

"Of course. Come on, Bailey," she beckoned.

She quickly pressed a kiss to his forehead before retreating from the room with Bruno on her heels. In the other room, she could hear shouting and she slowly moved forward, looking into the kitchen to see her brothers and papa fighting.

"Hey, what is this about?" her mama interrupted, moving to stand between the men.

"It's fine, mama. You don't need to interrupt," Sam assured, putting a gentle hand on her arm to reassure her.

"Papa thinks Bailey shouldn't be coming with us," Alejandro burst out, crossing his arms over his chest. "But she has proven very capable. She needs to learn how to defend herself, papa!"

"She can learn here, where there won't be any accidents," Papa hissed.

"Oh so you don't care that we might get into an accident?"

"That's not what I-"

"You can't shelter her forever. One day, something might happen and she might not be able to defend herself!" Ale leaned forward a little.

"Why don't we let Bailey decide for herself?" Samuel suggested, causing a deafening silence to settle across the room.

Her mind had been whirling in that moment, trying to figure out where everyone was coming from and how she felt about the entire thing. Her papa was always very protective of her and while her brothers were as well, they tended to let her do more. All of them looked at her expectantly and she blinked.

"Wait, you and Ale didn't want me helping in the first place. Why side against papa like this?" she asked.

The room went silent once more and she stared at them in disbelief. Why were they even having this conversation? It was obvious that her brothers and papa didn't want her to help. She was just the driver. Of course, she got her fair share of shooting practice in the woods when no one was home and she had nothing else to do.

"Look, Bailey...papa he told us not to let you come. And we agreed at first," Samuel explained.

"At first? So you changed your mind, why exactly?" She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest.

"When you get out there...and see what the world is like... I've seen some bad things happen to people who didn't know what they were doing. And we just want you to be safe," Alejandro said.

"She will be safer here. I should have never let her drive you," Papa growled.

"You haven't been out there, Papa!" Alejandro exclaimed, his features contorting angrily. "She will be safe with us! And even safer being prepared!"

"Maybe they're right, Jorge! I don't like it any more than you, but what if she ever gets separated from us? It almost happened when we tried to go back over the border!" her mama piped up.

Her papa glared angrily, but remained silent as he shuffled past them. She knew that look. He agreed but didn't want to let his pride suffer. A breath escaped her lips and she caught eyes with Sam as her mama went after papa.

Bailey leaned against the counter as Bruno hugged her leg. "Did that just happen?"

"I believe so, hermana," Sam murmured, running a hand through his brown locks.

"Stubborn old man," Ale grunted, crossing his arms.

"I understand why... But I want to help. And if that's his way of consenting, finally, I'll take it."

"Well we're due for some gas hunting tomorrow. I'd practice that aim of yours. You're going to need it," Sam advised.

"Yeah I think you're right. If anyone asks, I'm out in the woods. I'll bring Bruno."

"Don't be too long. Please. Papa is already angry enough."

"I won't. Come on, Bruno." She gestured to the dog, taking a glance up at Alejandro as he glared at the wall. He and papa never got along very well.

Rolling her eyes, she moved through the kitchen and then headed to the room where she and her brothers were staying because of the limited amount of room in the house. Mama and Papa were already sleeping on the couches, as they insisted the three of them got the guest bedroom and her abuelo had his own room.

She picked up a hair tie and pulled her long black hair back into a ponytail to keep it out of her face. In the closet, she retrieved the old shotgun she had been learning to shoot on. She only picked up a small handful of shells, as they would definitely need them for later, and pocketed them. Slinging the gun over her shoulder, she headed out of the room and to the front door. No one stopped her, which meant her mama and papa were likely talking right now, her trying to get him to calm down most likely.

Bruno followed her out of the front door and she headed around back to the trail that led into the woods. It was a few miles down, since most of the property the house was on was open fields for farms that were never built, but not too far of a walk. And at this point, she'd walked down the path so much that she had enough stamina and energy to go the whole way.

Her trusty pup followed on her heels, seeming pretty relaxed so she didn't have reason to worry. It was beautiful out here and she wished that she was here under better circumstances.

When she reached the woods, she got a little more quiet, making sure her steps were extra light and careful. So far, she hadn't seen any muertos out here, but that didn't mean they wouldn't ever be out here.

An old oak tree with a painted target on it sat in the center of a clearing in the woods and she shuffled across from it. Bruno knew the drill by now and took a seat by her side, a little bit further back.

"Alright, boy. Stay where you are," she murmured, steadying the gun and slipping a couple shells in to start.

The gun was slightly heavy in her hands, but it wasn't as heavy as it had been when she first started shooting. Her arms had gotten used to the weight and she could hold it pretty steadily now. She imagined that in a few weeks, she wouldn't have any trouble lifting it, especially if her brothers were going to allow her to go on runs with them.

"Here we go," she said to herself, raising the shotgun and aiming it at the target.

Her body took a moment to breathe and then she held her breath and tugged her index finger on the trigger. The gun gave a mighty kick, but she was prepared and dug her feet into the dirt as the pellets sprayed across the target. She'd been practicing enough that hitting a stationary target wasn't too difficult. She just had to practice on a moving target, which was set up not too far away, with a log attached to a rope. First, she just wanted a warm-up shot before she tried that. If she would be shooting real muertos tomorrow, they wouldn't sit still for her to shoot.

Flexing her fingers, she moved around the tree to the moving target. It blew lightly in the wind, but not enough to really be moving. She reached forward and grabbed the rope, taking a few steps back and pulling it with her before letting it go. As it swung back and forth, she took a few more steps back, raising the gun and cocking it. She focused on the movements as it went back and forth and tried to imagine where it would be in a second's time when she shot.

Her finger hovered over the trigger before she pulled it back and held steady through the kick. Unfortunately, she miscalculated her aim and the pellets sprayed into the dirt just as the log passed.

"Damn," she swore, looking back at Bruno as he sat attentively. "Alright, let's try this again."

Bailey pulled the log into a swinging motion again and took her place, focusing only on the log as it moved. This time, she aimed a little bit ahead of the log and fired. To her relief, she got a good shot on the log and it splintered, causing her to grin. Perfect.

"You see that, Bruno?" she asked, receiving a bark in return.

As she turned to take another shot at it, movement caught her eye. Bruno perked up and came charging over, a growl rising in his throat. A few paces away, emerging from the trees, was a muerto. It had been a man at one point and there was a very obvious bite on its shoulder. She had killed a couple before, but she had always been with one of the others. This time, she was alone, with only Bruno at her side. And those other times she had used a baseball bat, not a gun. Right now, she didn't have her knife with her, which meant she needed to use the gun.

It approached quickly and she cocked the gun, raising it and taking a few steps back as Bruno began to bark and whine anxiously. She held her breath and aimed it. When she fired, she missed completely.

"Mierda!"

Bailey trailed back a little bit, uncomfortable with the close distance between her and the muerto. As she took steps back, she didn't see the log behind her and tripped backwards, landing in the dirt. A cry escaped her lips and she trembled as it moved closer. Quickly, she reloaded and fumbled with the gun, aiming it just as the muerto hovered above her. Just as it was about to come down on her, she fired, hitting it right in the face. The shards from the shell shredded its head, leaving black blood and brain matter to splatter across her face and shirt.

Bruno immediately started nuzzling her face and whining to try and see if she was okay. Her arms trembled and she reached over to pat him and let him know that she was alright.

"I'm o-okay. It was j-just too close," she breathed, scooting back and using her shirt to wipe the blood and sinew off her face. Her parents would be so worried when she got back...

Bruno whimpered and licked her cheek to try and comfort her. Well if there was anything to help her prepare for the unexpected tomorrow, that was it.

* * *

 **A/N: New fic, woo! So just a prewarning, if you haven't seen Fear the Walking Dead season 2, don't read this. It contains MASSIVE spoilers, so don't read on! Anyway, so I was really bummed about what happened to Chris in season 2 and decided this would be sort of like a "fix it" fic. He'll be in the next chapter and I will somehow incorporate it all with the rest of the show as it continues to move along.**

 **First thing's first. I know hardly any Spanish and have been using Google translate, so if something's wrong, please let me know! I also don't know much about the Spanish culture, but I'm going to do my best to try and get it as accurate as possible. Some things will be more American since their family is mixed and Bailey's mother is American. If there's anything weird or out of place, just let me know in a comment or PM!  
**

 **Second thing, if you're here from Forever Wandering, I'm so glad that you decided to check this out! And if you aren't and love the Walking Dead, check out Forever Wandering! It's a Carl/Oc story, already 30-something chapters long so you'll have a lot to read if you're interested.**

 **I'm hoping to update once a week on Fridays during the Fear the Walking Dead season and then once a month on the third Friday during off-season. I will put all updates on my Twitter (ThatWriterGirl5) and will occasionally post extra stuff there as well. The playlist for this fic is on my Wattpad.  
**

 **I hope that you guys enjoy this and I'm super excited to start and continue this! Thank you so much for reading :)**

 **Translations:**

 **Hermana - Sister**

 **Hermano - Brother**

 **Abuelo - Grandfather**

 **Abuela - Grandmother**

 **Hijo de puta - Son of a bitch/motherfucker**

 **Conejito - Little bunny**

 **Muerto - Dead**

 **Mierda - Shit**


	2. Control

**Chapter 2: Control**

Bailey stood in the driveway, carefully holding her trusty shotgun in her hands. After coming back yesterday with blood all over herself, her family had thrown a fit. Once Alejandro and Samuel realized she was alright, they backed off a little, though it was clear they were a bit worried. She wouldn't let them reconsider their decision to bring her along today, but her papa fought tooth and nail. The shouting had gotten bad enough that she needed to retreat to the porch in the dark to get away from it. She only returned when everything had died down. The look on his face this morning showed that he was not happy, but he wasn't saying anything. So she kept her head down and got herself situated before she and her brothers were ready to go.

She first hugged Bruno and let him know she would be back soon before moving to her mama. They exchanged a tight hug and words of luck before she stood in front of her papa. His face was stoic, but she tried to push past her anger from last night and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'll be careful, papa. I promise," she assured, sighing softly.

As she pulled away, her gaze lingered on his watery eyes and for a moment, she felt a pang of guilt. Was it really hurting him this bad to do this?

"Stay close to your hermanos," he said, leaning forward one last time to kiss her on the forehead.

She nodded. "Always, papa."

With one final wave, she headed to the car and got in the driver's side. Bruno barked a few times as she started up the car. Her brothers didn't hesitate to get in and once they were situated, they started to go. She watched her parents in the rearview mirror until they were out of sight.

"Okay, where to?" she asked, glancing over at Sam in the passenger's seat.

"Follow out to the main road like yesterday, but we're going to make a different turn to a smaller town. Hopefully since it's smaller there will be more cars and more gas," he explained, leaning back.

Alejandro put his feet up on the center console and she groaned, elbowing his ankle. "Gross much?"

He merely chuckled and removed his feet. "Baby much?"

"Says the one who whines more than any twenty-six year old should."

Sam snorted and she just smirked, her eldest brother proving his point as he whined about her calling him a whiner. How he was even able to become an adult, she would never know. So she left him to rant, continuing to drive and ignoring him until he realized no one was paying attention and stopped talking.

The rest of the ride was pretty quiet, with only some small talk and exchange of directions interrupting the silence. They were pretty content to sit in each others presence with the hum of quiet music coming from the speakers.

The sun had just really started to shine above them when they got to the abandoned town. Out of everything that they first saw when they entered, they found a gas station. She pulled into the parking lot, getting a closer look at the sign hanging on the top of the gas pump that read: NO MAS GAS.

"Well that sucks," she murmured, sighing a little.

"There's still a few cars in the parking lot. We'll check them and the pumps just to be sure. The sign might only be there to deter others from taking it," Sam pointed out, opening up the car door.

Bailey followed suit, retrieving her shotgun and holding onto it as she took a few wary steps out into the open. It felt weird to be helping her brothers now, but she wasn't going to let those feelings get in the way of her alertness. So she headed up to the gas pump, going around to each and checking to see if they had gas. None of them did and she sighed, glancing over to Sam across the lot.

"Bailey, come here!" he called, waving her over.

Taking a quick glance around, she jogged over as he placed a siphon tube into the gas tank of the white van and secured a rag from his back pocket around the tube to keep it in place. She placed her gun down.

"What do you need?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips as he blew air into the tube.

"I'm going to teach you how to siphon gas. I can feel the bubbles in the tube when I blow, so I can tell there's a bit of gas inside. You're going to suck on the tube until you see the gas flow and then you can put the tube in the can so it can drain out. Got it?"

"Yeah I think so. You sure this is safe?"

He shrugged. "Not really, but we don't have a real pump siphon so we have to do it the old fashioned way."

"Makes me feel so much better," she snorted, taking the tube from him.

"Well I'd rather die from gas poisoning than a muerto."

"Good point," she agreed with a small laugh before wrapping her lips around the tube.

She tried sucking on the tube for a few moments, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. Sam motioned for her to try again and she did, sucking a bit harder until the flow of gas came rushing up the tube. She didn't pull away in time because a small bit of gas sneaked through her lips and she jerked backwards, spitting out the offending liquid and coughing.

Sam took the tube from her and fed it into the gas container and she continued to spit the little bit of gas out and forcing herself not to vomit at the vile taste. He tossed her a water bottle and she twisted the cap off, pouring some of the water in her mouth to try and swish away the traces of gasoline that coated her mouth. Swishing just like with toothpaste, she spit and repeated a few times until her mouth was gasoline free.

"Ugh. How do you do that more than once?" she groaned, taking a moment to actually drink some of the water.

"If you practice enough, you learn to pull away before the gasoline gets to your mouth," he chuckled, leaning against the van as its gas drained into their container.

"It's horrible..."

"Yeah it doesn't taste nice."

Alejandro popped back into view after exiting the small store attached to the gas station. He had a few small items in hand, but not much.

"Aw man did I miss it?" he whined.

"Sure did," Sam snickered, pulling the tube out of the van once it was finished.

"You can do the next one," she suggested, grimacing at the thought of the metallic gasoline taste.

"Oh no. You wanted to come and help. You get to pull your weight," Sam said, grinning at her.

"Fiiiinee," she groaned, taking the tube and half-full gas can from him.

There were two more cars left in the parking lot to check. One of them was a bright red and the other was a light tan. She headed to the red one first, but about halfway there, a loud screeching crash stopped her right in her tracks. Her head snapped up and her eyes widened when she spotted a red truck on the road into town had flipped through the air.

"Shit! Did you guys see that?!" she exclaimed, the can of gas falling from her hand and landing on the ground next to her. "We have to see if anyone is okay!"

Immediately, she ran to retrieve her shotgun that she left beside the white van.

"Wait, Bailey!" Sam shouted.

Ignoring him, she sprinted down the road, her heart pounding loudly in her chest as she saw movement from the wreckage. Someone was alive! She only made it a few feet away before she spotted another group of living, all of them boys. One of them had a gun aimed at the one on the ground and she quickly raised her own, moving closer and gaining the attention of the one with the gun.

"Whoa, are you trying to shoot him?" she questioned, eyebrows knitted together as she eyed the two boys.

"His leg. Not gonna survive. Might as well put him out of his misery," the one with the gun answered, gesturing to the terrified-looking boy in the dirt.

Her eyes flickered down for the briefest of seconds to see that his femur was poking through the skin of his leg. She winced, looking up as she heard the pounding footsteps of her brothers coming after her.

The gun boy raised the gun to her two oncoming brothers and she lifted her own. "Don't you dare. I will shoot you."

"Oh look at that, Derek, she's feisty. I doubt you even know how to use that thing. Why don't you just put it away before you hurt yourself, huh?"

"Bailey," she heard Sam murmur, the nervousness in his voice evident.

"They were going to kill their friend, we can't leave him. He's hurt, he needs help," she replied, finally taking a moment to look down at the boy.

He had tanned skin, with shoulder-length black hair and puppy-like brown eyes. Obviously, he was in pain from the injury he sustained.

"How about we take him off your hands? And you guys can go and we don't have to shoot anyone," Sam suggested, putting his hands out as a peaceful gesture.

"You got a place?" the gun boy asked, seeming more interested now.

"None of your business," Alejandro snapped, causing the boy to take a step forward defensively.

Bailey cocked the shotgun, aiming it at his face. She could feel the anxiety shooting through her body, making her legs weak. "Move. I dare you."

"Brandon," Derek warned, obviously seeing that she knew how to use a gun and that her finger was hovering over the trigger.

"I got this, Derek!" he snapped, raising his hands in surrender. "Look, this is our man Chris. We're responsible for him. We're putting him out of his misery."

"You can't just kill someone like that!" she exclaimed. "You don't know how precious life is these days when all you have are muertos."

Brandon threw his head back and laughed. "Damn, kid, you really don't know how this world works anymore, do you?"

"I do. But I chose not to let it take me. So you better back off or I will shoot you. We're helping your friend, even if you won't. Sam, Ale."

She gestured with her head toward the boy on the ground, Chris, and kept her gun trained on Brandon. He rolled his eyes, but finally lowered his gun.

"You're making a big mistake. When he turns and eats your family, you're going to regret it," he huffed.

Bailey didn't respond, only making sure he didn't move as her brothers reluctantly went to help Chris to his feet.

"You know, if you just let this all go, I can show you a good time," Brandon purred.

Her eyes narrowed and she could practically feel the tension seeping off Alejandro beside her. It was a low, disgusting prod, but she wasn't going to fall for it. She was the one in control and she couldn't let that control slip even for a second. These testosterone fueled males would take it in a second.

"Stay put. If you come after us, I'll shoot you," she warned, taking a few steps back as her brothers eased the injured boy down the road.

"Oh come on. If you shoot me, you're not going to have anyone to fool around with. How old are you, fifteen? I bet you've never even had sex in your life," Brandon taunted.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alejandro lunge forward, only to be yanked back by Sam, who was still trying to hold onto Chris too.

"Vete a la mierda!" Ale spat, his eyes full of fury and rage.

Both of the boys laughed and Brandon shrugged. "I don't speak Spanish, beanbag. Speak English."

"I said fuck off," Alejandro growled, fighting against the hold of his brother. "And if you're in our territory, you learn to speak _our_ language, gringo."

"Ale...Ale we need to go," she murmured, her skin crawling as Brandon's disgusting words seeped into her skin.

Her voice seemed to snap him out of it and she blew out a breath, nodding at him as he slowly turned to continue moving on. Just before they got too far, she aimed a shot at their feet and fired. This startled them enough to send them flying in the dirt and she picked up her pace to catch up with her brothers, only sparing one glance to the boys trembling in the dirt before they disappeared back into the town. With quick feet, they moved back to the car.

Alejandro quickly went to get the gas she dropped and put it in the trunk while she helped Sam usher Chris into the backseat of the car. Once he was there, Sam pulled her and her brother aside.

"Bailey, this was never a good idea. Papa will not be happy and we cannot afford another mouth to feed, especially an injured one. We're already having enough trouble with abuelo," he said, his brows knitting in worry.

"We couldn't just leave him, Sam! It's not right. They were going to kill him. We can't turn into savages just because the world is in limbo. What's going to happen when everything gets better?" she pushed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What if it doesn't? And what if he dies? Mama is only a nurse, how is she supposed to do surgery on him with no experience and no anesthesia?"

"We can't just not try! We'll be no better than they are if we leave him to die! We need to try. And if he turns...," she trailed, looking over to the car.

They both looked at her, sighing gently.

"If he turns, I'll take care of it," she assured, clenching her jaw. "And I'll deal with papa."

"I'm not sure I like this," Sam admitted, scratching his head.

"What if he's like those pigs, Bailey? You heard what they were saying. We can't have someone like that in our house with you and mama," Alejandro pointed out, his demeanor still tense.

She shivered and little and shook her head. "We'll fight that battle if we get to it. He might not be that way. Stop assuming."

"We have to assume these things, Bailey! You're being naive!" Alejandro hissed.

"I know, okay! I know that it might be dangerous! But we have to try. I don't want to be someone who doesn't give someone a chance."

Sam's breath hitched and he looked down at the ground, sighing gently. "Alright. Alright. Dammit, Bailey, you have too big of a damn heart. But if anything happens, he's gone. Broken leg or not."

"Okay," she agreed. "That's fair."

"Good. You sit in the back with him. I'll drive."

With a nod, she headed to the backseat and slid in. "Hey. Are you feeling okay?"

"Well, my bone is protruding out of my leg," he murmured, letting his head fall back against the seat. "You shouldn't have saved me."

Bailey was taken aback. What? Did he..did he want to die? She stared at him for a moment as the car started up.

"Why?" she inquired, taking a minute to reach over and buckle his seatbelt for him and then buckle her own.

"I'm no good. And I'm probably going to die." He smiled sadly and then closed his eyes.

"You won't. My mama is a nurse. She'll figure out how to fix you."

"My...mom was a nurse, too," he murmured, his expression suddenly becoming somber.

"Oh..." She had a feeling that it was past tense. Gone. It made her wonder where the rest of his family even was. Why was he with those boys? But she knew that it wasn't really a good idea to ask a stranger about a touchy subject like that.

"But hey," she tried again, biting her lip and looking over at him. "Whatever happened before...this is a fresh start for you. You don't know me. I don't know you. It's a clean slate, you know?"

"I guess we'll see," was his reply.

She didn't understand how someone who seemed so terrified to die acted like that's what he wanted. Maybe she would learn something about him, but for now, she would accept it. Something had happened to him.

"I'm Bailey, by the way. Sam is the one driving and Alejandro is the other. They're my herm...uh, brothers."

She was in the habit of calling her family by Spanish names and she wasn't sure if he even knew Spanish.

"I know a bit of Spanish. Hermanos. Brothers. I'm Hispanic too," Chris said.

"Oh..well cool then." She smiled a little and let her hands rest in her lap.

"And just for the record, what Brandon said to you... It was wrong and disgusting and I'm sorry."

Well...that was a step in the right direction. "Thank you."

The rest of the ride was deathly quiet. She wasn't sure of what else to say to Chris when he seemed so depressed and out of it, and her brothers didn't say a word. Where this would go, she had no idea. But she knew that now she was stuck with the decision she made and there was no turning back.

* * *

 **A/N: Well we finally have Chris here! Wooo I'm fixing the death he didn't deserve to haveeeee. Ugh I really did like Chris and they just screwed it up bleh. But here were are, bringing him back into the story. I hope this chapter was enjoyable! I'm really excited to move forward from here with my own material until we join the show again. Also did anyone see the first two episodes of season 3? I'M STILL UPSET OVER THAT DEATH. This show likes to kill off all the best characters. But anyway, thank you so much for following and favoriting! Let me know what you think of it so far! You guys are awesome!**

 **Translations:**

 **NO MAS GAS - NO MORE GAS**

 **Vete a la mierda - fuck off**


	3. Thank You

**Chapter 3: Thank You**

 ****WARNING** Graphic Surgery Scene**

Bailey heaved a sigh as her papa paced in front of the four of them. She knew he was going to be very unhappy about bringing Chris, but she stood tall and waited for the slew of words that would rush out of his mouth. Poor Chris was being held up by her brothers from both arms given he couldn't put any weight on his leg. Her mother also stood off to the side, eying the wound and frowning to herself, probably mentally trying to figure out how to fix it given their limited supplies. Bruno had been locked away in the back room to stay out of the way.

"What were you thinking? We don't have the supplies to care for this boy!" Papa burst out, looking mainly to her brothers given they were the ones in charge.

"Papa, it was me. His friends were trying to kill him because of his injury. Blame me, not them. I couldn't let them do that. It wasn't right. And I don't want this world to be different . We still need to help people, papa!" she insisted.

"He's here now, pa. We may as well take care of him. If we cast him out, he will die directly from our doing. I don't think you'd want to kill someone," Alejandro pointed out.

Her papa sighed, shaking his head. "We have to worry about our own family!"

"You are. Because if you send him away, you'll be hurting me," she murmured, crossing her arms over her chest. "We can still try to be good people. Be better than the others in the world."

She saw her mama's resolve slip and she gestured for her brothers. "Bring him here, I will see what I can do."

Papa's face contorted into outrage and he turned to mama to speak, but she shook her head and put a hand up to silence him. He may have been the head of the household but mama was the one in control of him.

Alejandro and Samuel slowly brought Chris into the living room and set him down on the couch. Her mama went to the backroom to get some supplies and Bailey sat on the couch across from him, leaning on her knees.

"This is probably gonna hurt," Sam mentioned, looking down at the wound.

"I figured," Chris mumbled, sighing deeply, probably in an attempt to ready himself for the pain about to come.

A moment later, mama came back with bandages, a small bottle of antibiotics, sutures, and...fishing wire? Among other things, she had some pliers and rubbing alcohol. She had seen her mother do some things before, such as stitches and basic care, but never before had she seen her try and put a bone back into place.

"Do you know what you're doing, mama?" she asked, looking warily at the wire.

"In theory," she replied, setting everything down on one of the chairs. "Chris, can you move to the table?"

The boy sat up and with help from her brothers, he moved to the table, laying flat against it and taking in another deep breath. Her mama gestured for her to come over as well and she slowly peeled herself from the couch, grimacing a little as she sat down on the floor. Mama ripped the tear in his pants a little more to get better access to the wound.

"I need the three of you to hold him down. It's going to be painful and I don't have anything to put him under. Ale, can you hold his shoulders? Sam, his good leg. Bailey, his bad leg," she instructed, pulling on a pair of rubber gloves she didn't even notice she had before.

Bailey shifted, moving to hold the base of Chris's leg with her hands. Alejandro firmly planted his hands on his shoulders and Sam held his good leg in place.

Mama looked around for a minute before picking up a small piece of rolled up cloth. "Bite on this."

Chris took it in his mouth and tried not to stiffen, but his muscles visibly tightened and his breathing grew heavier.

Mama first took some of the rubbing alcohol and cleaned the affected area. Chris did squirm a bit, but it was only stinging and definitely not as painful as what he was just about to go through.

After the area was thoroughly cleaned, mama used the alcohol to clean the pliers and wire. "Alright. I'm going to manipulate the bone to get it back into your leg. It will hurt. Everyone keep him steady."

She braced herself, keeping his leg from the knee down steady with a firm grip. Mama didn't hesitate to get her hands on the bone sticking out of his leg and starting to push. Chris instantly thrashed and let out a groan of pain through the cloth in his mouth, but she did her best to keep him steady. The more she manipulated it and pushed the muscles around to get it back in, the more Chris thrashed and the louder his screams and cries became. It made her wince and by the time mama had gotten the bone halfway into his muscles again, her arms were on fire from keeping him still.

His cries and shouts brought her heart to a rapid pounding and she felt herself feeling a bit sick. She couldn't imagine ever being in so much pain that screaming like that was something that just happened.

Her hands grew sweaty and she struggled to keep a grip on him as he bucked against their hold. However, a moment later, he suddenly went limp and she instinctively jumped in shock, looking over to see that his head had fallen back against the table and his eyes rolled shut.

"He passed out. Easier to get this done. Stay ready in case he wakes," mama instructed, using all of her weight to push against the bone that was contracted in the wrong place because of tense muscles.

After a few more agonizing moments, she got the bone back in place and immediately began to thread the thick fishing wire around the break. Bailey peered over, trying not to feel sick as she watched her mama prod around the muscles.

"Honey, can you sop up some of the blood?" she asked, somehow seemingly calm as she used the pliers to tie some wire off before wrapping around some more.

"Uh..."

"Please."

Gingerly, she grabbed one of the bandages and gently prodded the slowly pooling blood in the cavity of his leg. The blood soaked up in the cloth and once it was full, she discarded it. Mama continued to fervently wrap the wire tightly around the bone several times to keep it in place.

"It's not as strong as a plate, but it's all we have. He _cannot_ put any weight on it for several months," she said, putting the wire aside and then getting the sutures.

Bailey took in a deep breath and watched carefully as she quickly sterilized the needle and thread and began to sew. First the muscle layer, then the subcutaneous layer, and finally the skin. Afterwards, she wrapped it up with a bandage and then sat back on her heels.

"Can you move him to the couch? I need to find something in the shed to make a cast," she explained, pulling off the gloves and discarding them on the floor.

Her brothers went to that task and she sat back, looking down at her hands that contained a little bit of blood on them. A small shake ran through her body and she stood, looking over at Chris who was spread across the couch. A few dried tears stained his cheeks and she bit her lip, taking the blanket from the back of the couch and draping it over him. She remembered a few things her mama taught her about nursing, such as keeping a patient warm when they were unconscious because the body lowered its temperature.

"You okay, Bailey?" Sam asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah just...shaken up. That was..."

"Intense," Alejandro finished, crossing his arms over his chest,

"Yes," she agreed, shuddering.

"Get a drink and a book or something and relax. It's over for now," Sam suggested, pulling her in for a little side hug.

"Alright." She nodded, returning the hug and then heading for the kitchen.

She was definitely a bit shaken up, as that was the most intense "surgery" she had ever seen her mother perform. Not like she did much given she was only a nurse and usually assisted rather than conducted, but still...

She filled up a glass of water from the tap after washing the blood from her hands and then headed to the room she and her brothers shared to get a book. Once she collected it, she headed back to the living room where Chris was sleeping away. Her brothers had settled down on their own to play a game of chess on the floor and she took a seat on the chair in the corner and got comfortable.

The water helped to ease her nausea and she soon found herself enthralled in _Allegiant_. She had only started to read the very beginning of it because it seemed like she barely had any time to rest anymore, but she was grateful for the time to read. She had already gotten halfway through the book when her brothers got to their feet.

"Hey Bailey, it's getting late. We're gonna turn in. You coming?" Ale asked, picking up the chess board and putting it on the table.

"Nah, I'm gonna stay up for a bit," she decided. "Tell mama and papa they can sleep on my mattress if they want."

"You're not going to sleep out here are you?" Sam queried, his face becoming a bit more serious as he looked over at the sleeping form of their guest.

"If it worries you that much, I'll slip in with abuelo. He won't mind."

"Okay... Just be careful, okay?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes fine. Goodnight."

Sam patted her shoulder with a smile while Ale gave her a kiss on the forehead. She smiled at the two of them as they made their way to the bedroom and she started to read again where she left off. She only got a couple more chapters in before she heard rustling and she looked up.

Chris was slowly shifting, seemingly to awaken. Her eyes glanced over to the window to see how dark it had gotten and she sat up a little straighter. Finally, the boy came to, but much more abruptly than she was expecting. He shot straight up, his chest heaving as he spun to look around. She quickly tossed the book down and made her way over, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Shh hey it's okay. Relax. It's Bailey, remember? My mama did your surgery and you passed out," she explained, gently pushing him down a little so he didn't strain himself.

His puppy brown eyes locked with hers and he swallowed thickly. "Sorry... I didn't realize what happened..."

He relaxed a little, letting his back recline on the arm of the couch and he winced a little.

"You're probably hurting. Let me go get the painkillers."

She hurriedly made her way out of the room and to the bathroom, peeling open the medicine cabinet and getting a bottle of ibuprofen. After grabbing that, she went to the kitchen to get a glass of water and then came back to the living room, where Chris was examining his own stitched up leg.

"Here. Take a couple that should help a little bit with the pain. It's not the best for something like that but it's better than nothing," she said, handing him the water and the bottle.

"Thanks," he murmured, unscrewing the cap with shaky hands and plopping two pills in his mouth.

She sat back on her heels, watching him for a moment as he swallowed the pills with a gulp of water. "I'll see if one of my brothers can lend you some new clothes tomorrow. Are you hungry?"

He turned his gaze to her, something in his eyes making her a bit confused. It was almost like he was confused but also in awe. Maybe a bit of of a calculating look too? She was about to ask what was wrong, but he finally tore his gaze away and nodded.

"Yeah, a bit... Thank you. For this..." He gestured to himself.

"Anytime," she replied with a small smile. "Let me see what I can scrape up for you."

A small smile pressed on her lips and she got up, heading to the kitchen once more. Most of the food they had was either hunted or canned of some sort. They didn't have power to refrigerate anything, but they did have running water because of the well that collected rain water for the property.

She hadn't eaten yet either so she decided to scrape up a bit of jerky and canned vegetables for the both of them. It seemed like the rice and beans from earlier was gone.

Mixing up a plate for each of them, she skirted through the doorway back to the living area where Chris was still sitting, his eyes closed and head against the back of the couch. She moved with noisy footsteps so her sudden presence beside him would startle him and placed her plate on the table.

"Here. I think that the dinner everyone else ate was finished. My papa will go hunting in the morning for fresh meat," she explained, handing him the plate.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, taking the plate from her.

Bailey gave him a nod and sat with her back against the table, scooping up her plate from it and beginning to eat as well. The jerky was dry, but the cool green beans helped to offset the dryness of the processed meat. They both ate in silence until Chris started to cough and she jumped.

"Are you alright?" she asked, putting her plate down quickly and hovering over him.

"I-I t-thi...," he tried, his body continuing to be racked by deep coughs.

"Shh, hold on."

She reached over and got his glass of water, moving to sit down on the couch next to him. Gently, she pushed him down by his chest and tipped the glass to his lips. His hand instinctively wrapped around hers on the glass to help tip it in the right angle and he took deep gulps. After the water was drained from the glass, she shifted it away from his lips.

"Better?" she asked.

"Y-yes. Thanks," he murmured.

"Stop thanking me. Really, it's not a big deal."

He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it. She looked at him for a few seconds, trying to allow him to speak again if he felt comfortable, but he didn't. Since she didn't want to be staring at him for so long, she looked down, suddenly aware of how his warm hand was over hers as it clutched the glass. Her breath hitched and she gently pulled away from his grasp, standing and averting her eyes to the floor.

"I'll get you some water and then we can sleep. It's getting pretty late and...," she trailed, shuffling her feet a little. "Yeah..."

He didn't speak, merely nodded in agreement and she quickly shuffled away.

"Estás siendo raro, Bailey," she murmured to herself as she went to the kitchen.

If she knew that the boy understood her quiet Spanish, she would have kept her mouth shut. She made it to the kitchen just in time to miss his small smile.

After filling up the glass from the tap again, she headed back to the living room and put the glass on the table, moving it closer to him for better access. She then headed to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She took a glance to her abuelo's room, where Bruno had been staying for the majority of the night, and decided that she would just crash on the couch so she didn't wake him. It was against her brothers' wishes, but they could deal with it.

When she came back into the living room, she blew out the candles on each end of the room and fumbled to the other couch across from Chris. She settled down and pulled the blanket off the back of the couch. After a moment of silence and debate in her mind, she looked across the darkened room.

"Goodnight, Chris," she breathed.

Again, she was greeted with silence and her confidence sank. He probably did think she was weird... Ugh. Why couldn't she just be...normal? Act like a normal person would and not make situations weird? But as she turned her back to him and snuggled her face into the back of the couch, she heard his quiet words across the room.

"It is a big deal, Bailey. You could have left me. Or killed me. And you brought me here when I don't deserve it. So thank you."

If only he could see the smile stretching across her face just then.

* * *

 **A/N: I am absolutely floored with the support you guys have given me. I didn't think that I'd get this much support already! Really, thank you SO much for reading and taking the time to leave kind reviews! It's nice to hear that some of you agree with me on how Chris deserved better. I hope I didn't make the surgery too graphic, but as I have an interest of going into the medical field, I can get carried away without realizing since I find surgeries fascinating haha. Anyway, there was only a little bit of interaction in this chapter, but there will be much more in the next! Also as a note, I'm going to be away next week so I will not be able to update :( But I will get back to the regular weekly updates after that! I'm sure even while I'm supposed to be relaxing I'll be mapping out future chapters since I can't ever seem to stop writing or planning for my stories. I have too many ideas! Anyway, I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter and I thank you sooo much for the reviews and kind feedback from you all! You're really the best! :)**


	4. The Beginning of The End

**Chapter 4: The Beginning of The End**

Bailey woke to a wet nose nuzzling her cheek. Her face scrunched up and she squirmed, moving away from the tickling contact. Opening one eye, she saw Bruno out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help but laugh softly. She pushed his nose gently away and stretched, smiling as she did so.

"Hey boy. How did you like sleeping with abuelo?" she asked, turning her gaze to the dog.

He whined softly and put his paws on the couch, tail wagging a mile a minute. She chuckled, patting him on the head and sitting up fully, moving over a little.

"You know you're not supposed to come on the couch... But no one's awake so..."

She proceeded to pat the spot next to her and Bruno didn't hesitate to jump up next to her, taking a minute to get comfortable. With a grin, she turned on her side and rested her head on his back, pulling the covers tight to her chin and letting out a sigh. She loved mornings like these, where she just got to snuggle with her dog and feel warm and relaxed until papa or mama got up to make breakfast.

Her eyes shifted over to the clock and she noted that it was about seven in the morning. Usually, her brothers would be up by now. Where were they? She tried to decide whether she wanted to get up and check or stay in her comfortable spot. Staying put won out, so she closed her eyes again and snuggled up next to Bruno.

She didn't stay that way for very long because she heard stirring across the room. Peeling her eyes open, she looked up to see that Chris was waking. Bruno lifted his head as well and she could feel his tail thumping against the couch underneath the mess of blankets. The two of them hadn't formally met yet.

After a moment, his eyes fluttered open and he took in his surroundings. She took the opportunity to sit up properly and brush her hair out of her face. Chris blinked and she smiled at him.

"Hey. Sleep okay?" she asked, latching onto Bruno's collar as he inched forward with excitement.

"Huh..? Oh uh, yeah. Great," he croaked, wincing a little as he moved.

"Oh, shoot you're probably due for more medicine. Here uh...you can hang out with Bruno for a sec while I go and get the stuff. Bruno, he gentle," she prompted, letting go of his collar.

The dog leaped off the couch and made his way over. She watched him for a second before pushing herself out of her seat and padding to the bathroom. After grabbing the painkillers, she returned and settled down on the floor. Chris was patting Bruno's head as the dog licked his arm and wagged his tail.

"Bruno, sit," she commanded and the dog did just as he was told, seemingly knowing that he needed to give them some space. "Good boy. Here, take one of these and..."

She reached across the floor to the table where the bottle of antibiotics was sitting.

"One of these. Antibiotics so you don't get an infection and painkillers," she explained, handing him each of the bottles.

"Thank you," he murmured, nodding slightly at her and then unscrewing the caps.

"Anytime." A small smile graced her lips and she took his glass of water from the side table and held it out to him when he was ready.

He downed both of the pills quickly and she put his water back and the bottles on the table.

"So um...your dog is...really friendly," he commented awkwardly.

"Oh uh, thanks. He's a good boy. Had him since he was small," she responded, looking over at Bruno.

"Bruno, you said right?"

"Yeah. After Bruno Mars. He uh, kinda used to be my favorite artist."

"Oh, he's uh, pretty good." He nodded.

"Yeah... So uh, are you hungry at all...?" she asked, figuring that it would be about time to start making breakfast.

"I actually...um, I really need to use the bathroom?"

Her cheeks instantly lit up in flames. "Oh! Oh um...let me go and get one of my brothers."

Bailey practically jumped to her feet and slipped out of the room and down the hall. The bedroom door was shut, but she opened it up gently, peering inside. Her parents were just starting to stir, but both her brothers were sound asleep. She smiled a little bit at mama, who was more awake than papa, and then trekked across the room over the mattresses on the floor to where her brothers were sleeping.

"Samuel! Alejandro!" she whisper-shouted, shaking each of their shoulders.

Alejandro groaned and rolled over, shoving his face under the pillow. She rolled her eyes and turned her focus more on Sam. Shaking his shoulder again seemed to do the trick and he drew in a deep breath, opening his eyes.

"Bailey?" he murmured, a yawn following soon after.

"Yeah, it's me. Chris needs to go to the bathroom and Ale won't wake. Can you help him?" she prodded, leaning back on her heels.

"Yeah, sure. Just give me a few minutes. You want to start breakfast? Papa might appreciate it after yesterday."

"Okay. Eggs okay?"

"Sure. We're out in the fridge so check the coop."

"Gotcha," she affirmed, pushing herself to her feet.

Stepping over each of the mattresses again, she headed back out of the room. Quietly, she entered the living room and headed to where her shoes were discarded by the door.

"Sam is coming and I'm going to start breakfast. Sit tight," she said to Chris, bending down and slipping her feet in the sneakers.

"Okay. Thanks," he replied.

She nodded at him and grabbed the basket from by the door. Bruno moved away from Chris to come and join her. She smiled at the pup and opened up the door, hot air already hitting her hard. She always thought California was hot, but Mexico was much hotter. Still, it wasn't as stuffy outside and it felt nice to escape.

Around the back of the house was the chicken coop of twenty chickens that her abuelo kept. It was a good source of food, since they produced eggs daily. She knew eventually the ones that stopped laying would become their dinner, so she tried not to get attached to any of them, but the arrogant little rooster always made her laugh.

Bruno sat outside of the coop and she opened it up, snorting as soon as the rooster came charging toward her.

"You think you're such a hotshot, don't you? Well stay back," she snickered, using her foot to keep a distance between the two of them.

The rooster cawed and took a few steps back, puffing his chest up proudly. She rolled her eyes and then proceeded to collect the eggs from each of the nests. By the end of her collecting, she had gotten a good seventeen eggs. Plenty for their breakfast this morning and to last another day or two.

With the basket in hand, she maneuvered her way out of the coop, locking it once she got out, and then heading back to the house with Bruno on her heels. When she got back inside, Chris wasn't in the living room anymore and the bathroom door was shut. Papa and mama were bustling about the kitchen, making the morning coffee that they were almost out of.

"I got it from here. You guys can just relax," she informed, setting the basket on the counter and getting a pan out of the cabinet.

"You sure?" Mama asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Yeah. Now go and relax. Shoo!" she chuckled, using the dish towel to swat at them.

Mama grinned and she saw a small smile on papa's lips too. That was a good start.

After the two of them left the room, she went about frying the eggs and cooking up some beans and tomatoes. She never really liked cooking much, but she knew how to do it so she made sure to add all the proper spices and keep an eye on everything until it was cooked all the way.

It took her about twenty minutes to get everything sorted and she made everyone's plates separately, balancing each precariously on her arms as she brought them to the living room. Bruno hopped on his paws when he saw the food, but she ignored him, setting the plates down on the coffee table and then going back to get the last ones. Bruno waited in excitement, his nose sniffing the air and drool beginning to ooze from his mouth.

"Gross, Bruno, relax," she snorted.

Chris and Sam hobbled back into the room, with her brother practically carrying the boy. Gently, he set him back down on his spot on the couch.

"Sam, can you get mama, papa, and Ale?" she asked, taking a plate and leaning across the table to hand it to Chris.

"Yeah. Gimme a sec," he responded, plucking a tomato off his plate and popping it in his mouth.

Smirking, Bailey sat back and waited, not starting yet because her family usually said grace before they ate. Chris noticed this and put his fork down after taking a bite. She laughed a little and shrugged.

"You don't have to wait. I can tell you're not religious. We're not overtly either. Catholic, but not really practicing," she said. "We usually just say grace before we eat."

"I...," he started, looking conflicted.

"Really, it's fine," she assured, though looking up her brothers and parents had started to file in.

Shrugging a little, she folded her hands on the table, waiting for her mama and papa to sit down. Everyone gathered their plates and sat down.

"Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen," Papa prayed.

"Amen," she chorused along with the others, the only one not to speak being Chris.

Everything tasted heavenly. These days when food tended to be the same old same old, it was hard to find anything tasting good. But she made sure to go a little extra this morning, hoping it would put her papa in a good mood. They mostly got their vegetables from the garden across the yard and the eggs from the coop. Everything else came from runs and whatever they found out there. Sometimes they would get meat from hunting, but it was scarce.

Every now and again, she would toss a small piece of egg to Bruno, who gladly sucked it right up like a vacuum. Her papa would give disapproving looks, but he smiled nonetheless, which made her believe her tactic worked.

After they were finished, she collected the plates and went to go and wash them. About halfway through, papa came in.

"Thank you, Bailey. Breakfast was lovely," he murmured, kissing the top of her head.

"Welcome. Look I know you're upset," she started, sighing gently.

"Bailey, it's alright. I'm just looking out for our family. I know you are capable, I just don't want my little girl hurt. And I was afraid that boy might bring trouble. I still do not feel greatly about him, but I know that you wouldn't leave someone to die. You have always been good inside."

A small smile came to her lips and she went to hug him. "I love you, papa.

"I love you too." He hugged her back tightly, rubbing her back. "Mama and I are going to tend to the garden. If you need anything, holler, alright? And keep an eye on abuelo. He didn't wake to eat his breakfast yet."

She nodded, pulling away slightly. "Okay."

Kissing her head again, he patted her on the shoulder before retreating from the room. Her smile grew and she turned back to the dishes, wiping away the grime with the sponge. For the rest of the dishes, she was lost in her own world until her brothers went crashing through the living room.

"Bailey! We're going out to check the traps! Sam and I have a bet that I'm totally going to win," Alejandro shouted.

"No you're not!" Sam followed up, his voice a little more distant.

Laughing a little, she shook her head and moved to the doorway, leaning on it. "Don't have too much fun. Sam, I'm counting on you to kick arrogant Ale's ass."

"Hey!" Alejandro pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh come on. You need to be knocked off your high horse," she chastised, smirking.

"Pft. You always root for Sam."

"Cause he's not cocky like you."

Sam chuckled. "Come on. Let's see how bad you did today."

She snorted as the two of them continued to bicker on the way out of the house and she let out a gentle sigh, feeling a lot more peaceful now that the house was quiet.

"Are they always like that?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah pretty much. I'm guessing you didn't have siblings?" she questioned, moving across the room and sitting down on the couch across from him.

"No. Well sort of. I have two step siblings." He shrugged. "Never exactly close with them."

"Oh... Step siblings must be hard."

"Yeah. Especially when one's an addict and the other thinks you're a psycho..."

She pressed her lips together. Definitely sounded like he had a bad family situation. That is, if his family was even still alive.

"How did...you get separated from them?" she murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I uh...went with those guys you saved me from? And I...well my dad, I left him behind." He swallowed thickly.

"Oh... You just...left him?"

"Yeah. I did."

Why would he even do that? She could never imagine leaving her family. His family situation didn't sound great, but even so she didn't think she would be able to do something like that. In times like this, she wouldn't want to be alone. And even if she sometimes fought with her family, they would still be there and she could trust them.

"I...should go check on my abuelo," she breathed, unsure of how to respond and figured it would be better to remove herself from the situation.

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it and sighed. Giving her a brief nod, he turned slightly, closing himself off from further interaction. She bit her lip, but didn't say anything and got to her feet.

At her abuelo's door, she knocked gently and waited for a response, but didn't get one. Frowning slightly, she opened up the door, peering in. She spotted his figure in bed, still tucked under the covers. The breakfast was still sitting on the bedside table and she sighed gently. His appetite had been pretty bad over the past few weeks, with some days eating a lot and others nothing. Once in a while, he slept in late, but not this late.

"Abuelo? Are you alright?" she pressed, moving across the room and reaching out to shake his shoulder.

Bad idea.

His body suddenly lurched upwards and she screamed, coming face to face with her abuelo as a muerto. His body overpowered hers and pinned her to the floor, the only thing keeping him from munching on her face being her arm pressed against his neck.

"Abuelo, stop!" she pleaded, even though she knew that this wasn't her abuelo anymore.

Bruno came charging in and started to bark and growl viciously, latching his teeth onto his arm and pulling as hard as he could. It did help, because abuelo's attention was diverted to Bruno and the dog pulled him off just enough for her to slip out from under him.

"Bailey?!" she heard Chris shout in the other room.

Stumbling and tripping, she made her mad scramble to the hallway, but not getting far as abuelo grabbed onto her ankle. A cry escaped her lips and she latched onto the doorway, heart thumping madly as she tried to get leverage. Bruno continued to snap and bark at him, but still stayed too far out of reach to distract him enough.

A loud _thud_ from the other room startled her and she let go of the doorway in surprise. Before she could get pulled too far, she wriggled her foot and her shoe slipped off, giving her a way of escape. With all her might and speed, she scrambled across the hallway and nearly tripped over the couch. Chris had fallen off it and seemed to be trying to crawl across the carpet.

"Bailey, are you okay?" he gasped, brown eyes filled with panic and concern.

"No I..."

She couldn't even breathe. He was gone. And trying to eat them. She couldn't even comprehend it enough to cry.

"Bailey, you need to get a weapon. A gun, something," Chris urged, reaching across the space between them to touch her hand.

The contact seemed to wake her out of her shock and she looked over at him, breathing heavily. A gun. _A gun._ The staggered footsteps reached her ears and she sprung from her spot. Where did she leave the gun? She panicked, ducking down underneath abuelo's outstretched arms and reaching the other bedroom. With shaky hands, she latched onto the shotgun in the closet, the weight and feel comforting her momentarily before Bruno started to bark like mad.

She scooped up two shells and slipped one in, but the other fell out of her hand.

"Bailey!" Chris's struggling voice echoed from down the hall.

"H-hold on!" she shouted, bending down and picking up the shell.

Her fingers were shaking so much she could barely get it in the gun, but the chaos in the other room fueled her. As soon as the second shell was in, she darted down the hallway. In the living room, abuelo had wrestled Chris on his back while Bruno was tearing at his leg to try and help. The gun slipped from her fingers and she grabbed onto abuelo's shirt, ripping him off Chris and stumbling to the side.

Before he could come at her again, she picked up the gun with trembling arms and aimed it at him. He continued to advance and she continued to take steps back. Even in his state, seeing his familiar face left her paralyzed. He wanted to eat her, take strips of her flesh and scarf them down with his rotted teeth. But he had once been her abuelo, someone she recognized and confided in. She could vaguely hear Chris shouting at her to shoot, stumbling over things as he tried to walk on one leg and get her out of her trance.

She could almost imagine turning her head to the side and dropping the gun to the floor to let him chomp on her. They could go down together and she wouldn't have to shoot. Everything would be over in a heartbeat.

But Bruno's nipping at her heels brought her back to reality. Brought her back to the realization that she still had so much to live for. Her brothers, her parents, her dog. Chris even. She had been the one to bring him here. He would likely be cast out if she died and all the work they'd done for him would be wasted.

Just before he grabbed her, she raised the shot gun and pulled the trigger. His head exploded - quite literally - as the pellets shredded through skin and bone. Blood splattered all over her face and the walls and his body twitched once before falling back to the floor with a mighty _thud._

The shotgun slipped from her fingers and she brought bloody, shaking hands to cover her mouth. The sound of the gun must've brought attention to them because the door practically flew off its hinges as her mama and papa burst through. She tilted her head toward them, lip trembling and mouth slightly agape as she stared in shock. The tears came fast and hard and papa immediately wrapped his arms around her. Shoulders shaking, she sobbed all of the emotions out of her system, burying her face in his chest and tuning out the world around her. Everything ached so strongly she felt her knees buckle, but papa kept her steady. Why him? Why did he have to go?

* * *

 **A/N: a bit of a filler but some important stuff. I want to have them bond a little bit before the major dramatic things happen and having a death might help bring everyone a bit closer. Since the show is gonna be on break after this Sunday, I'm also going to be taking a short break from this as well, mainly because I want some time to work on some of my other stories too. I also need a little time to plan some future chapters for this as well. Plus when Fear The Walking Dead returns I'm going to also be bringing a new fic to the picture and I'll explain more of that when I get to it. Hope you liked it and thanks so much for reading and reviewing! :)**


	5. Numb

**Chapter 5: Numb**

Numb.

That was really the only word Bailey could use to describe how she was feeling now. Only three days later and she was already numb. She cried all the tears she could cry. Now it was just an empty feeling - a _numb_ feeling.

Everyone else was taking the loss differently. Papa was out of the house more than ever, hunting and taking care of the property as much as he could to keep himself occupied. Even Alejandro and Samuel were often out, mostly on runs for things they needed. Mama remained in the house mostly, doing things that kept her occupied like cleaning up and making food when it was time to eat. Chris was practically nonverbal and his interactions were only when necessary, like whenever he needed to use the bathroom or get something to eat. She had a feeling he was only doing it to give them space.

Yesterday, they held a proper funeral. Papa, Sam, and Ale spent the day digging a hole while she and mama picked wildflowers and created a cross out of sticks. Everything had taken much longer than it should have, but they were just avoiding the inevitable. Burying him would seal the deal and make it all much more real. And it did.

All of them, even Chris, stood around the freshly buried grave to say some words. Bruno stayed close to her side and whimpered throughout the entire thing, eventually pawing at the fresh dirt when they started to disperse. She had to grab onto his collar and pull him away. It must have been hard for the dog; he was there in his last moments and had to attack him when he had been trying to eat them.

Since then, she had mostly been cuddling with the dog, locked away in the room she shared with her brothers. She didn't want to move. All she wanted to do was stare up at the ceiling and stay locked with Bruno's warmth at her side. No one had really bothered her since everything happened since all of them were mourning in their own way, but this morning was when her mama finally decided that she needed to get up and do something.

"Hey honey?" she prodded, standing in the doorway to look at her.

Bailey slowly raised her head, studying the lines of stress and anxiety stretching across her mama's face. "Hey."

"I really need you to help do some chores around the yard. Papa and your brothers are out checking the traps and I really need someone to tend to the garden. I would do it, but I need to tend to some stuff around the house and change Chris's bandages."

She sighed deeply, fingers softly caressing Bruno's head. "I guess so."

"Thank you. And please, take something with you to protect yourself. Just in case." Mama's fingers tightened around the doorframe.

Her eyes flickered to the shotgun resting in the corner of the room. The very same one she used to shoot abuelo. The friendly warmth and comfort it used to hold was now replaced with hard lines and bloody stains.

"Bailey, please," mama insisted, voice soft.

"Okay," she agreed.

"Thank you."

Mama flashed her a small smile before leaving her alone to get up and get ready. It took her several minutes before she decided that she was ready enough to get up and start the day. She pulled on a pair of faded blue jeans and a flower-patterned shirt. Bruno watched her the entire time, not moving from his spot until she approached the gun resting in the corner of the room. He whined, obviously sensing the tension.

"I have to. Mama's orders," she murmured, looking back at the dog for a moment before turning her gaze to the weapon.

Gingerly, she picked it up, the familiar warmth she usually gained from the weight now feeling like a cold stone in her hands. She grimaced, but still shouldered the weapon, trying not to think of what she had to do with it three days prior. It had already been hard enough losing her abuela and now her abuelo was gone.

She drew in a shaky breath and then headed out of the room, her feet causing the wood to creak beneath her down the hall. In the living room, Chris curled up on the couch with a woolen blanket over his legs. A book rested between his fingers, but his puppy eyes latched onto her form as she entered. She looked away, her mouth set in a firm line, and continued toward the door to retriever her shoes.

"Hey," Chris tried as she knelt down to string up her boots.

She didn't answer, not because of anything he had done. Her talking to others had been rather limited and because she didn't know him as well as her family, she didn't have the energy to put forth the effort to get to know him.

"Where are you going?" he asked, probably taking note of the gun.

"Garden," she answered shortly, straightening up and holding the door open for Bruno.

Without another word, she shimmied out the door and into the hot afternoon air. Though it had cooled down considerably, it was still dry and scorching enough out that her jeans felt too much. Still, for gardening, they were necessary.

She trudged across the yard with Bruno by her side, passing the chicken coop to the small enclosed garden at the corner of the property. Many of the vegetables were growing strong with a few here and there that looked like they were withering.

"Stay here Bruno," she murmured, placing the gun next to the gate and entering.

All of the gardening materials were in the back of the enclosed space so she immediately went there to grab what she needed, placing the yellow gardening gloves on her hands and grabbing some clippers. Even if she didn't exactly want to do this today, it was rather peaceful outside. The wind blew softly through her hair and felt nice on her skin. Everything stayed quiet. Nice and peaceful.

The serenity allowed her to dive into her thoughts as she clipped off dead leaves and branches from each vegetable plant. Bruno settled down on the outside of the fence and she stayed in a crouched position as she moved from plant to plant. First the tomatoes, then the string beans, then the corn, and so forth. Some of the plants, like potatoes and carrots, didn't really needed to be trimmed, but she checked to make sure they were healthy and growing properly.

Working with her hands seemed to even out her thoughts, even if she was thinking about abuelo. It helped her to think about the good times she had with him, like when they would tend to the garden together or when he came up to California to visit with abuela. They were memories that made her smile during the day, but now she wasn't sure how they made her feel. Part of her felt happy reliving them, even if he wasn't alive, but another part of her was anguished that she wouldn't be able to make any more memories with him.

Bailey paused, dropping the clipped and staring in the dirt for a moment as the heat rushed to her eyes. She sniffled, a single tear wetting the dirt next to her hand. He would always be remembered, even if he died in the worst way possible. Papa loved him. Mama loved him. Ale and Sam loved him. And _she_ loved him.

Papa had told her before, when abuela died, that even if she was gone that she would live in each of them through their memories and actions. The same would be with abuelo. He would still be alive in her heart.

Once again, the overwhelming urge to cry consumed her and she plopped down in the dirt, allowing the tears to rush down her face in even flows. Bruno whined faintly from the outside as a way of telling her he knew how she was feeling.

She cried for a few more minutes, memories of every single moment with him flashing through her mind until she couldn't think of a single one left to mull on. If he was alive, he'd tell her to stop crying and finish up with the garden. There was work to do. Always work to do.

With a shaky laugh, she pushed herself out of the dirt, wiping the tears with her shirt, and starting back to work. She made quick work of the weeds, abuelo's voice echoing in her mind with tips and tricks for gardening as she worked through it. And once she was done with the weeding, she moved on to actually picking the vegetables.

Halfway through and the turnout seemed to be pretty good. She had just started pulling up carrots when Bruno started to bark like mad. Springs in her toes propelled her backwards and she pressed a hand to her heart as it raced from the sudden barking.

"Bruno, knock it off," she hissed, panting and bending over to pick up some of the vegetables she dropped.

He didn't stop barking, though, and she peered through the corn to try and see what he was barking at.

A lone muerto staggered toward them, blood seeping from its teeth and fingers outstretched and twisted. Low gurgling escaped its rotten lips and she immediately stood, eyes wide. A muerto? Out here? They hadn't had any wander on the property since the start. Of course they would see an occasional one deeper in the woods, but none ever made it this far.

She hurried toward the gate, fumbling for the shotgun as Bruno snapped and snarled at it. A single shell rested inside and she cocked it, drawing in a deep breath. As it approached, her finger froze over the trigger. Her surroundings were different and this definitely wasn't her abuelo, but the gun still felt cold and hard in her hands and the blood splattering everything replayed in her mind.

Bruno latched onto its leg and then dodged its grip before it could hold onto him. She tried with everything she had in her, but her finger just couldn't pull that trigger. Her muscles were stiff and she couldn't even move.

It seemed that the barking had got her mama's attention, though, because she rushed outside.

"Bailey! Bailey, shoot!" she shouted, rushing forward.

Even though the words registered in her mind, she just couldn't do it. Bruno kept the muerto distracted for long enough that mama could make it to the scene with a hammer in hand. With a mighty swing, mama latched the blunt object into its skull. It twitched, the growling in its throat slowly dying as it ceased to exist and fell to the ground. It was almost like all the tension released from her body and the gun fell from her fingers to the dirt.

"Are you okay?" Mama asked, running forward and opening up the gate to engulf her in a hug.

"Fine," she murmured, burying her face into mama's chest. "Why was there a muerto here? They never come in this far..."

"I don't know, honey. But we have to get rid of it before it stains the dirt and ruins the crops. Can you help me move it? Are you able to do that?"

She saw the way her mama's eyes flickered down to the unused gun in the dirt... Why couldn't she have just shot it?

"Yes. I can do that," she breathed, carefully pulling away.

"Stay here and I will run in to get the matches. I won't be long," Mama promised, giving her a firm kiss on the top of the head.

She merely nodded, reaching to wrap her arms around herself as mama left to hurry inside. Bruno whined and nuzzled her leg, his snout covered in blood from the muerto. She'd have to clean him up afterwards.

Mama returned with the matches and together they lifted the muerto to bring it all the way to the back woods where they burned the dead bodies. Of course, this only happened once in a while when papa would bring one back from the woods, so it was hardly used, but a good thing to have for occasions like this. She still couldn't understand how one had gotten this far...

Once it was placed in the pile of ashes, mama lit it up with one of the matches and it burned away, leaving a rotten smell in its wake. They made sure it was completely gone before swatting out the fire and heading back to the house. By the time they got back, her papa and brothers returned as well, to which they told them of what happened. Alejandro and Samuel immediately worried over them, asking if they were okay, while papa seemed more stern. He set his jaw, looked hard at the wall, and asked them questions about which direction it came from while mumbling how they shouldn't have had to take care of something like that.

He still embraced them afterwards, but he seemed to be thinking hard about how this happened. She used the opportunity before dinner to clean up herself and Bruno, wiping the blood from his snout and giving his mouth a wash out. After that, they all ate dinner together and soon it was dark out once more. It seemed like the day had gone by way too quickly once she had gotten out of bed.

However, as midnight neared, her eyes stayed wide open. Nothing could seem to lull her to sleep - not even the warmness of the blankets around her or the soft snores of Ale across the room. The thought of a muerto getting in just bothered her and she continued to toss and turn as thoughts of it and abuelo crossed her mind back and forth. She got agitated enough that she finally sat up and peeled herself from the bed. All she needed was some fresh air...

She quietly slipped out of the room and down the hall, making sure to avoid all the creaky spots in case anyone else was still awake. If they caught her going outside, they would surely force her back into her room.

Chris seemed to be sound asleep so she quickly skirted past him and put her shoes on. She moved so quickly that she didn't hear the rustling behind her as she shut the door and stepped out into the fresh air.

Stars littered the sky and she drew in a breath, looking up for a moment before moving to the side of the house where she could get a better view. Stargazing was something she often enjoyed doing back at home since where they lived was clear of trees and she could climb up on the roof to look. But out here, the sky was so much clearer and she could see each set of stars much more clearly than she could at home.

She only got to lay in the grass for a few moments before she heard the hobbling footsteps. Instinct kicked in and she leaped from her spot, eyes darting through the darkness to find where the footsteps were coming from. A limping figure made its way toward her and in an instant, she was scrambling for her weapon that she didn't bring.

However, instead of being a muerto like she was expecting, it was Chris. What was he doing out here?

"Chris...?" she questioned. "You should be resting! You can't be walking on your leg."

"I'm fine," he assured. "Really, the crutch your mother made works; I'm not even using my leg."

She sighed, taking a step back and crossing her arms over her chest.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, coming closer until she could see his features in the dark.

Bailey paused, shuffling her feet on the ground. "Just...needed some air. Couldn't sleep. You?"

"I saw you leaving. Wanted to make sure you were...okay."

His voice was slightly hesitant, but she could feel the concern and tinge of warmth in every syllable. He was really trying.

"Yeah I...wanted to look at the stars. Helps me when I'm thinking," she admitted, taking a glance upward.

"It alright if I join?" He tilted his head, peering at her through the darkness.

"Uh, sure? We can sit if you want," she said awkwardly, gesturing to the patch of ground she was sitting on before he came.

He gave a small smile that she could barely see through the moonlight. "Thanks."

The two of them settle down in the grass, him having a bit more trouble getting down on her level but eventually getting there. She crossed her legs and leaned back on her hands, turning her brown-eyed gaze back up to the stars and exhaling. Everything about this night was beautiful. Too perfect.

"How's your leg?" she asked, placing her hands in her lap.

"Not bad. It...hurts a little but much better," he said.

"Good... I'm glad my mom could help."

"Yeah it uh...really reminded me of my mom. You know she would have done anything to help someone. Always had a good heart."

"You said she was a nurse too?" Bailey recalled, shuffling a bit so she could look at him.

"Yeah. She was. Still in nursing school when it started. But she was really smart and kind. I wish I could have...," he trailed, breath deflating on his lips.

"Had more time with her?" she finished, knowing exactly what he was trying to say.

"Yeah. I guess you probably feel the same way."

She merely nodded, adjusting her gaze back up and the sky. It was scary how similar they were and she would swear he was practically the boy version of her. Or at least from what she knew about him. In all honesty, she didn't know that much, but talking to him seemed to dampen the reality of what was going on around her, even if they were talking about their dead relatives.

"Hey what's...what's your favorite color?"

It slipped out before she could help herself. Favorite color? That sounded so lame. But he responded without a beat.

"Yellow. Makes me think of the sunny days back home. What about you?"

She couldn't stop her heart from fluttering the way it did. "Yellow too, actually. It's just...warm. I like warm colors. Where did you live before all this? I'm guessing up in the states?"

"California. LA, to be exact."

"Wait really? We were in San Diego! We just came down here to help my abuela when she was sick and then everything happened. How did you end up all the way down here?"

"We were just...trying to find a safe place. Stayed on a boat for a while, but things got hairy and we ended up here."

His brown eyes sparkled in the dim light and she couldn't help but smile subtly to herself. Ale and Sam had been the only ones to really be her friends throughout this whole thing. Bruno too. But it was nice to be able to talk to someone her own age who understood what she was going through and who was a pretty down to earth person.

"Hey, Bailey?" he started, catching her attention.

"Hmm?" she hummed.

"He may be gone but...he doesn't have to suffer in this world anymore."

The words seeped deep into her skin, like a sponge absorbing water. No matter how hard it was for her to accept it, it really was true. He was in a better place where he wouldn't have to endure the hardships of this world. It had already been so rough on his fragile body to eat such small meals every day.

Her body slumped slightly, but she nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he responded, voice warm and welcoming.

She shifted to get a better look at the stars, but as her gaze flickered upwards, she caught sight of something in the distance. A figure stumbling toward them. No wait, was that two? It seemed like the more she stared, the more figures began to appear from every direction with the telltale gait of what she feared. Muertos. A whole herd.

And they were coming right toward them.

* * *

 **A/N: So sorry for the long delay! School started up for me so things have been crazy and I struggled a lot with coming up what to do next with this story. But it's gonna start heading toward the plot of the show so I'm excited about that! Next week I won't be able to update because I'm updating my main fic, but the week after will be back on schedule, hopefully! As long as I can keep up with school in the meantime. Thank you all so much for the awesome reviews and I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Hope you liked this chapter!**


	6. Home Sweet Home

**Chapter 6: Home Sweet Home**

Bailey and Chris barely made it through the door in one piece. She had scrambled to help him and by that time, they had nearly gotten tackled by a muerto. They slammed the door shut right before it grabbed them and she immediately locked the door, flinching as each bang against the door rung out in the silent house.

Carefully, she slipped underneath Chris's arm again and pulled him toward the couch, being mindful of his leg but still trying to move quickly.

"Stay here a second," she said, letting go of him and then rushing to her and her sibling's shared bedroom.

"Ale! Sam! Wake up, there's muertos outside!" she whisper-shouted, moving to Sam's side and shaking him vigorously. Without giving either of them a chance to respond, she rushed into her parent's room. "Mama, papa! Muertos! A whole herd of them!"

Her papa was the quickest to wake and mama soon followed. Sam appeared in the doorway and another loud _bang_ reached her ears. Everyone moved so quickly that she couldn't make out who was who. Following after them, she stopped int he doorway of the living room, watching as her papa poked around and look through the blinds.

"Close all the curtains and turn the lights off! Sam and Ale, barricade the doors. Vamos!" papa commanded.

A sudden bark made her nearly jump out of her skin and Bruno came charging into the room, growling and snarling at the door where the bangs got louder.

"Bruno, shh!" Bailey hushed, bending down and clamping his mouth shut. "Shh, it's okay, you need to stay quiet."

Her fingers gently stroked the side of his face and he let out a whine before sitting down and leaning into her. She continued to pet him and soothe him as everyone else scurried around the house to try and secure it. Ale and Sam pushed in a large dresser and pressed it up against the door. Papa and mama closed all of the curtains and flipped the light switch off. She nearly tripped over the couch, but within moments, a small match lit up the corner.

Mama lit a small candle in the corner of the room, giving a small glow bright enough for them to at least see where they were.

"They'll still be able to see the light. We need to block up the windows as much as possible," Sam instructed. "Get every sheet, every blanket, anything that can block the light."

Bailey couldn't help but admire how great of a leader her eldest brother was. He always seemed to know what to do and how to take command, even moreso than her papa.

All of them split up to start in a different room and she started with her own, ripping the sheets and blankets off the mattresses and folding them up into a ball in her arm. Once the room was clear, she brought the pile back into the living room. Papa stayed near the door, peering out the window next to it to try and see the status of the herd surrounding them.

Alejandro started to tie the blankets from the curtain rod, using the heaviest ones for a more effective coverage. Bruno settled down anxiously on the couch across from Chris. His eyes were still alert and he kept an eye on each of them, but it was easy to tell he was nervous.

"It is not looking good out there," Papa murmured, pulling away from the door.

"What do we do?" Mama asked, the anxiety evident in her voice.

"Nothing. We sit and wait for it to pass," Sam murmured.

Loud screaming from the chickens outside caused her to wince and she settled down on the floor, biting her lip and trying not to focus on the cries of their main food source as they were ripped to bits. That would be a major problem moving forward when they were trying to eat.

Bruno let out a whine and hopped off the couch, starting to pace back and forth across the room. Chris gently patted the side of his leg to get the dog's attention and when he came over, he started to pet him softly to try and soothe him. There wasn't much Chris could even do with his leg, but he did seem like he wanted to help somehow.

Papa and Ale went to go and get the weapons and all of them hunkered down in the living room. The muertos banging on the door soon ceased, but their loud growls and bodies scraping and bumping against the house didn't stop. None of them said a word to each other in fear of alerting the dead somehow. Every minute was uneasy and nerve wracking and not once did she get comfortable. She wasn't sure how long everything ran smoothly, but one second everything was fine and the next it wasn't.

The blaring alarm clock that was in abuelo's old room started to go off. They used it when he was still alive to monitor when they needed to give him his pills in the middle of the night, and it seemed mama and papa had forgotten to turn it off.

Papa was the first one to jump to his feet and in the process, knocking over a lamp on the side table next to the couch. Bruno started to bark and the candle in the corner of the room fell over along with the lamp, spilling flames all over the carpet. Her mama shouted a few curses and breaking glass followed.

Papa slammed their bedroom door shut, his eyes wide and panicked. "Get your things! Vamos!"

She didn't hesitate to sprint to her room along with her brothers. Her shaking hands struggled to grab a bit of everything - her clothes and a few other personal belongings. Bruno kept nudging her leg and barking madly. Everything was happening all at once and she didn't realize how heavily and quickly she was breathing until her vision began to spin. She grabbed onto the back of Sam's shirt, stumbling after him with her things thrown in a small bag. He was saying something but she couldn't quite understand, all of the events going on making her unable to focus.

In the living room, papa and mama were moving the furniture out of the way of the door while Chris struggled to stand with the makeshift crutches he had. More windows snapped under the weight of all the muertos and she let out a shaky gasp as her heart thumped so quickly she couldn't determine one beat from the next.

With one final shove, all the furniture was moved and papa kicked hte door open with her shotgun in his hands. Any muertos that were by the door were immediately pulverized and she winced as splatters of blood coated papa.

"Bailey, go!" Alejandro shouted.

Mama and papa were already sprinting for the truck and Bruno bounded outside, snapping at anything that got too close. Sam had lifted Chris into his arms and Ale put a hand on her shoulder to get her to go. It was like her legs had frozen in place again as soon as she saw the white eyes of the monsters trying to get them and she couldn't move. Abuelo had been just like one of them. Coming toward her, snapping his rotten teeth, arms outstretched...

One of them reached toward her, but Alejandro kicked it out of the way, and the next thing she knew she was being lifted over his shoulder. The shock still settled in her stomach, but she became more aware as he galloped to the truck and hauled her into the bed of it. Bruno's wet nose brushed across her neck, but her gaze stayed firmly locked onto the house, which was not only becoming overrun by muertos, but also exploding in flames. Her childhood vacation place, abuelo and abuela's home - gone. Just like that.

Her hair marred the view for a moment as papa hit the gas and they zoomed down the twisting driveway. Alejandro held a firm grip on her arm as they soared over bumps and tore around turns. Everything was gone.

Bailey settled down into Ale's lap, curling her head against his chest and staring blankly ahead as the scenery changed with each second. Now she had a moment to breathe and actually process everything. It flashed in her mind, getting faster and faster until it shut down and a numb feeling spread through her veins. She felt Alejandro nudging her, but she didn't respond - she just couldn't.

She remained clutched onto her brother for a long period of time until the truck finally came to a halt. He gently pushed her to the side and for the first time the whole ride, she stirred. Bruno licked her arm and her eyes slowly latched onto her papa as he got out of the truck. Without hesitation, he engulfed each of them in a hug, followed by mama. Her first instinct was to cry, but she couldn't muster up the tears. Numb all over. That's all she was.

"We need to find somewhere to go," Sam said, standing. "We can't stay here. It's not safe."

"Where do we go?" Mama asked, her voice quivering with unshed tears.

"Ale, Sam...were there any places you found when you were out looking for supplies?" Papa questioned.

"I might remember a place," Sam said with a nod. "At the edge of town, a small pub that's usually overlooked. Probably good enough to hunker down until we get our bearings."

There wasn't any time or reason to argue. Sam got into the driver's seat and papa came into the bed with them. Bailey hung onto the edge as they started to move again, trying to process once more everything that was happening. They were going to stay somewhere else, somewhere that wasn't abuelo's house. Why couldn't she get over this? It was just a house, right?

She tried to collect herself, push herself out of her head. In the end, it was only one thing that seemed to wake her up.

The lightest touch on her arm snapped her eyes right open. It was a minuscule touch, something that barely brushed her skin, but it felt both searing and cool at the same time. Her head jerked to the side to see Chris's fingertips ghosting along her forearm and his chocolate eyes caught hers.

"Hey," he murmured, peeling his fingers away, though something about the mixed temperature of his touch made her want it to stay. "Are you alright?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out, and she shut it.

"Not...not really the right thing to ask, sorry... I...I know you're not. I'm sorry, Bailey. I truly am. I..know it's not really what you want to hear but...it's going to be okay."

Her eyebrows knitted together and she looked at him in disbelief. How was everything going to be okay? He was still injured, the house was gone, and both abuelo and abuela were dead. It was likely they would die too, on the run like this, trying to hunker down where ever they got the chance.

"Bailey...there's something I learned from you. I know we've...we've only known each other for a short amount of time but..." He drew in a deep breath. "When you saved me that day...I thought something was wrong with you. I've done things...had thoughts...that I'm ashamed of. I didn't want to die but...I didn't think I was worth saving either."

She gave him a curious look and folded her hands on her lap.

"But you...you wanted to save me either way. You didn't have to...and...in that moment, I thought I was going to die but...it wasn't the end. Everything seemed bad but...it fixed itself. Through you. So...even though it seems bad...it will work out. I didn't believe that could happen but...you showed me it could."

"How..how could I have...? I didn't do anything I just...," she stuttered, completely taken aback.

"That's...just the way you are, Bailey. You're...that type of person. Not everyone is that way. And it showed me...showed me something different than I had before," he said, eyes flickering down in embarrassment for a moment before he looked back at her.

"I...t-thanks, I suppose. I didn't...I well...thank you, Chris," she murmured sincerely, her chocolate eyes entranced by his own.

Chris gave a small smile and touched her shoulder in reassurance. Maybe he was correct. Maybe things would work out. Though she couldn't exactly believe it right now, those words he uttered stuck in her mind. She could keep them for when she really did believe them.

As they drove, the wind whipped her hair back, cooling her flushed face. It was still dark out by the time they reached the pub, though she could see the slight glitter of light beaming over the sky.

Sam was right, this place seemed to be so deserted and overlookable that it was likely a good place to stay. Peeling letters adorned the slab of white wood that held up the sign and the windows were all boarded up, probably long before the end of the world.

Carefully, she peeled herself out from the bed of the truck and stood, looking upwards at it as papa, Ale, and Sam went inside to make sure it was clear. Chris stood stationary in the bed of the truck, as he would need help to get down. None of them said a word and Bruno stood guard right by her side, keeping watch. A few steady exhales and Sam popped his head out, holding her shotgun in one hand and the door with the other, announcing three little words.

"Home sweet home."

* * *

 **A/N: It's been ages and I'm sorry! School has kept me busy and the semester ended a few weeks ago but then Christmas stuff kept me just as busy! No matter, I finally got it up! It's a bit on the short side, but I thought it would be a good place to end it instead of continuing on and I wanted to get something up anyway. I hope you guys liked this chapter and I'm hoping to get them out a lot more quickly. Thanks for being awesome readers!**


	7. Liquid Courage

**Chapter 7: Liquid Courage**

Each day out here was longer and harder than ever. It made Bailey realize how much she had taken the farm for granted. Back there, they at least had a steady supply of food coming from the garden and the chickens, as well as whatever papa was able to scrounge from hunting in the surrounding woods. But now, they had no garden or chickens, and not many wild animals roamed the streets. They had to rely on supply runs to nearby stores and houses, which seemed to bear them little results. Everything in the nearby area had been looted well, and it became more apparent day by day that they couldn't stay where they were. However, traveling was somewhat difficult given Chris's situation.

It had been weeks since his leg had been set, but he still needed more time to heal before he could function properly. He was able to bear a little bit of weight on it now, but mama wanted him using it as little as possible. Because she didn't have any pins or screws to keep it in place when she aligned the bones, he had to be much more careful than if it had been a regular surgery. At the most, Chris was allowed to be a look out and keep things tidy and organized around the pub.

Between all of them, they only had two guns. Her shotgun, and a handgun they'd found by pure luck. Because of her papa's paranoia, she kept the shotgun on her at all times, whereas the handgun was passed around to anyone on watch or on a run if she didn't go. She knew it wasn't fair that she had a gun on her at all times, but there was no arguing with her papa on it.

Days became long and hard while nights were short and sleepless. It was hard to find enjoyment out of anything anymore. Her thoughts often lingered on the horrifying images of her abuelo's death and the walker herd surrounding their home. She didn't speak much - only when she was directly spoken to. Out of everyone, this grieved Sam the most. He had seen her so full of life before and now she was a mirror image of the muertos.

Chris did his best to lift her spirits, but even his words couldn't penetrate the shell she had begun to form around herself. The empty feeling dragged on for days, not wavering for anything, until one night when it seemed like Sam didn't want to see her like it anymore.

Mama and papa had gone to bed, leaving all of the children awake. Alejandro was supposed to be on watch for half of the night, but there wasn't much to watch. Not one person had come by the town since they got there and muertos were very scarce.

Bailey had gotten comfortable in one of the corners, pulling up her blanket and resting next to Bruno as she stared blankly at the wall, a hand absently stroking the dark fur of her companion.

Sam was the first to approach. At first, she didn't look up. But he had brought with him a lantern, and after he settled down next to her, she took a glance. To her confusion, he was carrying with him a bottle that looked suspiciously like alcohol. Growing up, she never saw Sam drink or even smoke. Alejandro had been the one to be rebellious and do each of those things.

He must've noticed her confused expression, because he smiled and uncorked the bottle.

"You know, I was about your age when I had my first drink. And we're already in a pub, so I figure this is as good a time as any for yours," he said, holding out the bottle to her.

Her eyes flickered down to the amber liquid inside, then back up to his face.

He chuckled, retracting the bottle just a little. "I know, probably not what you expect. Your good boy brother to be offering you underage alcohol. But believe me, I've never been as good as I seem."

For the first time in weeks, she cracked a smile. A small one, but it was still there. "What is it?"

"Whiskey, I think?" Sam bit his lip and looked at the label. "Yeah. Figure it's better than something soft like a beer or glass of wine."

"Are you...sure this is a good idea?" she asked, looking down at Bruno.

The dog looked up at her with a tilted head, as if knowing what she was about to do.

"You don't have to. I was just offering," he said softly.

Bailey looked back at the bottle. It couldn't hurt, could it? If anything, maybe it would help her feel a bit better. And if not, she'd just never touch it again.

With careful hands, she reached out to take the bottle from him, pausing to look at the label. She expected herself to be more hesitant than she actually was, and within seconds she rose the bottle to her lips.

A bigger swish made it through her mouth than she expected and after she swallowed the large gulp, she immediately began to sputter. The liquid had a bite, all the way down to her stomach, and she hadn't expected it. Her body racked with deep coughs and she rose a hand to her lips, squeezing her eyes shut as they began to water. Even with the harsh bite, it had a warmth to it that settled comfortably in her stomach, bringing her a certain sense of ease.

Sam chuckled as footsteps rapidly approached. Looking up through her tear-filled gaze, she saw Ale looking down in bewilderment.

"Did she just...? Samuel Garcia! You gave her alcohol?" Alejandro hissed.

Wiping her eyes, she spotted Chris approaching as well, seeming slightly concerned.

"Relax, Ale. She can handle a couple swigs of whiskey. As long as she isn't as much of a lightweight as you," Sam snickered.

"She's underage!"

"And did that stop you when you took your first drink at fifteen? A year younger than she is. You did much worse at her age. Come on, take a sip and join us. We could all do with a bit of relaxing for once."

Finally regaining her composure, she shot a small smile up at Alejandro. "I'm fine, brother. Really. I feel fine."

Alejandro snorted. "You just drank it. You're not going to feel anything for a little bit. Give me that."

He bent down and took the bottle, settling himself on her other side. In spite of everything that happened, she felt the stirrings of happiness in her chest.

Sam turned his attention to Chris. "Have you ever had any?"

Chris shook his head. "No."

"Well, like I told Bailey, now's as good a time as any."

He gestured for the other teen to take a seat, which he did as best as he could given his leg. They all sat in a small circle, with her brothers at her sides and Chris across from her. After Alejandro had taken his turn, he carefully passed it to Chris. He examined the bottle, just as she had, but seemed more hesitant. However, upon seeing everyone watch him expectantly, he finally tilted it back.

His reaction was much like her own. As soon as it went past his lips, he spluttered and coughed. She could see why Sam laughed when she had done it - it was rather amusing.

He recovered much more quickly than she had, but she couldn't suppress a giggle anyway. At this noise, he perked his head, chocolate brown eyes locking with hers as he smiled. Something about the depths of his gaze comforted her and she leaned back, relaxing a little.

"The children have been christened!" Sam laughed. "Don't drink too much more. Or you'll have a hangover in the morning."

"Just a sip or two more and we'll be done. Promise," she said, taking the bottle from Chris and taking another sip.

This time, it went down much more easily, but she still was unable to suppress a wince. For a couple moments, they passed the bottle around, taking small sips and easing into a deeper relaxation as the buzz began to form. Sam was right about Ale being a lightweight. After three sips, he was already giggling like a girl and five minutes later, he'd passed out.

With a chuckle, Sam stood and grabbed the handgun that was stuffed in their brother's pants. "I'll take watch until it's time for papa. You two rest. I'm sure you're both a little buzzed by now."

He leaned down to kiss her on top of the head and she smiled up at him, letting him take the bottle before resting happily against Bruno. Sam was right, she was feeling different. Her body felt lightly tingly and a warm, happy feeling resided in her stomach. She hadn't been this content for days.

"My dad would kill me if he saw this," Chris murmured, unable to keep himself from grinning.

"Mine too," she laughed, leaning her head against Bruno's side. After a moment of silence, she asked, "what was your papa like?"

He stared at the ceiling thoughtfully for a moment. "Kinda a jerk. But he loved me. And I loved him."

"That's how it always is, isn't it? My papa can be harsh, as you've seen. But he does it all because he cares. I think...parents do that. We think they're being harsh, but really...they're just protecting us."

Chris remained silent for a moment, his eyes drifting out of focus as he thought. She watched him lazily, wondering what he was thinking. Normally, she might stay quiet, but they had become friends and she was going to ask.

"What was everything like for you? Before?" she prodded, resting a hand on Bruno's head.

His gaze shifted to her and he looked at her, seemingly pondering. They had asked a couple personal questions here and there, but they had always refrained from telling each other everything.

"Really...kinda shitty," he admitted, his expression changing to a more somber one. "My parents were split and I lived with my mom. Got to go to my dad's on certain weekends. School sucked... Everyone hated me. Sad life I guess."

Bailey pressed her lips together, a bit of seriousness returning her from her mellowed out state. Her family had its own issues, but it sounded like things really looked down for him. Guess if he wasn't happy before and he wasn't happy now it wasn't much of a difference.

Carefully, she scooted closer to him, her eyes wide and doe-like. "That's the past. All of us have it as a part of us but...we can move forward. And...we might not be living in the best world now but...we're forward. In a different time. And...for the record..."

With a brief burst of courage that was likely from the alcohol, she leaned forward, pressing her lips close to his ear.

"I don't hate you," she whispered, voice hot and laced with the warm scent of whiskey. "Far from it."

Goosebumps formed on his skin and she spotted a shiver crawl up his spine. He remained silent for a moment, seemingly trying to process her words, before he leaned over too, mimicking what she had just done.

"Good. Because I don't hate you either," he murmured, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin of her ear. "Far from it."

A hot flush rose to her cheeks and her stomach churned with heat and butterflies. He kept his mouth near her ear, breathing slowly, seeming hesitant. Gingerly, he tucked his head in, his lips momentarily brushing against the dip of her jaw just below her ear, leaving hot trails of fire in their wake.

Bailey nearly gasped. Whatever alcohol that was in her system seemed to leave immediately and she swallowed thickly.

Chris moved away, a coy smile on his face as he slowly got to his feet. "Goodnight, Bailey."

* * *

 **A/N: I'm back! After months I finally finish something. This chapter is so incredibly short, but I needed to get something out and figured if I get this out it'll at least be a step in the right direction. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things and start writing more regularly again. I'm sorry if this chapter isn't the best, but after my depression it was hard to start writing again. But I'm confident now that I'm moving forward I can start writing better again! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for sticking with me throughout everything. You guys are the best!**


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